as part of the Size Matters squad. Well, this year he returned to the island along with a new crew, new label, and new material — and this time around, he was the star of the show. Actually, he was the star of two shows, having played at Pacha NYC the night before.

Safe to say that New York was poised to receive two very special shows from one of the most exciting DJs — and most versatile producers — in the game. He delivered, in a big way.

Update: Check out the official aftermovie (pay special attention around 1:38)!

Thomas Gold at Pacha NYC, Saturday August 11th, 2012

My TG weekend began at Pacha NYC, where Thomas was joined by Tim Mason and Matt Goldman. Goldman’s opening set was an appropriate mix of bopping house tunes that kept the crowd in anticipation of the night’s main attraction, Mr. Gold. However, Tim Mason got a little too excited and proved to be an overly aggressive opener. Playing tracks like “Tung,” Tommy Trash’s remix of “Ladi Dadi,” and a bootleg of “Here We Go” with “Greyhound” is just not cool when it’s not your night. The set was entertaining, but also offensive.

The good news for Pachaholics in attendance was that Thomas would blow Tim’s set out of the water track after track. While he may have begun the night by declaring that “this is just the pre-party,” he went all-out with an impressive smattering of new material and established favorites. Of course, his signature ‘Goldlegs’ were the stars of the show — the intricate mashups and re-works that Thomas has become known for (and even gives away for free from time to time).

For me, the best one of the night was Otto Knows’ remix of “Kick Out The Epic Motherfucker,” with the “Show Me Love” vocal and bits and pieces of “Lunar” at the end. Another amazing combination was “Wonderwall” with “Bong,” “Personal Jesus,” and Porter Robinson’s “Unison.” It was followed up with “Alive” mashed with “Pjanoo” — just to take it to the next level. He dropped Zedd’s “Spectrum” with “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall” right at the end, serving as a great, emotional track to wrap things up with.

I’ve seen Thomas play Pacha multiple times in the past, but this was absolutely the best he has ever been there. Between the creative new bootlegs and awesome unreleased material from his friends, the crowd was thoroughly engaged and enthusiastic until he wrapped up well past 4AM.

Thomas Gold at Governors Island, Sunday August 12th, 2012

Sunday evening, it was time for the big show: Thomas’ headlining performance at Governors Island. He brought in support from Carl Kennedy, Norman Doray, and Tim Mason yet again. I unfortunately arrived after Carl went on, but was dismayed to hear Tim once again playing bangers that shouldn’t be played by an opener — let alone the opener for the opener. “Language” and “Calling,” seriously?

Tim may have overworked the crowd, which seemed relatively unmoved by Norman Doray’s followup set. There was a good amount of minimal material, along with the occasional well-known track: “Nicktim,” Jacques Lu Cont’s remix of “Mr. Brightside,” and Third Party’s “Otherside” remix. The crowd came to life for the Eurythmics’ classic “Sweet Dreams,” and un-identified remixes of “Coming Home” (not with “Quasar”!) and “The Island.” However, everyone knew who they were really there for, and as the saying goes, it’s always most calm before the storm.

Once again Thomas had the privilege of closing out the night, and once again the crowd was set to receive the best set last. If you were at Pacha the night before as I was, the set itself wasn’t the most special part of the night — that was reserved for unique additions like the ‘Goldbots’ and Thomas’ very own drumline. Pacha’s energy at its peak paled in comparison to that on the island when Thomas took the stage around 9:45, and it only increased as the night went on.

Things got started off right from the get go with Thomas’ very own drumline joining him for a percussion-filled version of “Marsch Marsch.” It was a special moment for everyone in attendance, and it got things going with a lot of banging and loud drums. The night would go on to be a mixture of new tracks and old, and of course he brought out even more of his new Goldlegs that were prepared especially with the waterside venue in mind. Nari and Milani’s unreleased remix of “Silhouettes” got paired with “Top Of The World” from Dyro and Ansol, and Wippenberg’s classic “Pong.” Tommy Trash and Digitalism’s “Falling” got combined with Pitbull’s “Give Me Everything” vocal. Tommy’s “Wicked Woman” remix was paired with “Allien,” and Michael Woods’ “Warrior” got REM’s “Losing My Religion.” Can you believe this was just the beginning?

Other highlights included Sebastian Ingrosso and Tommy Trash’s upcoming “Reload,” and the old Thomas Gold track “Abart” with The Police’s “SOS.” He laced the “Pacha On Acid” drop into Armin Van Buuren’s “We Are Here To Make Some Noise,” and mashed “Alive” with “Nicktim.” “Turn It” got “You’ve Got The Love,” “In My Mind” got the “Together” vocal, and of course, “Million Voices” got to “Apologize.” It was an incredibly intricate two+ hours of music, and the crowd was into every minute of it.

At the end of the night, Thomas poetically dropped a piano-heavy version of Coldplay’s “Clocks” as a brief reprieve before arguably Thomas’ most emotional remix: “Set Fire To the Rain.” Adele’s piercing vocals and Thomas’ pronounced piano riffs served as the perfect way to end the night — everyone singing along in unison, fully appreciative and in awe of the musical journey they had just been taken on.

THE GOLD STANDARD

Looking back at the weekend a few days later, I can say that each of Thomas’ New York shows was special in its own right. Thomas’ set at Pacha was the hands down winner, but the special touches brought to Governors Island made it an amazing experience on its own. After seeing Thomas live well over five or six times, I’ve come to expect this level of intricacy and technical ability from him. I’ve become comfortable with the fact that most Thomas Gold tracklists will include more “?”s than track names — and that’s what gets me excited to see a DJ.

Even though it was already technically Monday morning when most partiers began their journey back from Governors Island to the real world, no one was ready to stop partying. Just ask the drumline: they were banging out the hits with Thomas standing by on the walls of the ferry all the way back to Manhattan. Seriously.